


To Fall from Grace

by Seravee (Uriels)



Category: Sky: Children of the Light (Video Game)
Genre: Adventure, Friendship, From Isle to Eden, Other, Veteran Player and the Moth Kid, first person POV
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:34:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uriels/pseuds/Seravee
Summary: He was the last moth kid I allowed entry in my constellation.And he would be my last hope that he will not fall from grace. No more constellation deserved to be incomplete..An introspection of a veteran child of light as they teach the workings of the realms to a moth.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 47





	1. Isle of Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there! Here's my first fanfic for Sky!
> 
> Disclaimer: By no means am I actually a veteran haha but I hope I've watched enough videos from them to actually get the feel of it and conveyed it through my writing accurately. 
> 
> Sporadic updates because I already write too many for a different fandom.

He was the last moth kid I allowed entry in my constellation.

They had a little bit of a notorious image, doing things you would have normally avoided, lost in trance, gets themselves easily krilled, clueless.

Many people have forgotten that before we emerged as the humble seekers of the skies, the mighty catchers of the wind, the soaring children of the light, we were one of them. I, high with the power of flight, was one of those people that forgot.

And so, I wouldn't really have accepted that precious candle this moth kid hadn't spent so much of an afterthought to spare. Likely, they haven't realized the scarcity of it. I saved them the trouble of losing one by actively avoiding them. 

Most of them got the memo. And by most of them, I meant everyone. 

All of them, except him.

I didn't know why I was the one he chose to offer a candle to. We first met in the Temple of Isle, after my fresh rebirth from the raging depths of Eden. Maybe he thought I was like him, having both five diamonds etched on our capes, that's why he attempted to start a budding friendship with me.

The difference became apparent when I allowed him to light candles, signifying acquaintances made. Him, having the typical brown and me, proud in my blue. 

And that was it, at least for me. I immediately flew to the right side of the island, straight to the portal of clouds looming by in seamless glide. I didn't land, opting to touch the edges of the cloud and let it push me up to the cave. The wing I gave up in Eden was waiting for me right there, after all, ready to welcome me again in its warm embrace.

When the clouds reached to me, I felt the push upwards and with a little more effort with the meager flight I had, dropped me to the entrance of the narrow cave formation.

Or, so what should have been. I've been to this place one too many times after all. 

I wasn't able to land seamlessly this time. In the corner of my eye, I saw that the moth kid followed my path. The clouds were being filled with stardust smoke emitted by their cape, unable to fly straight due to the push and pull of clouds.

And with me losing my balance, I also slipped from the edge of the mossy rock and got pulled by the clouds. But I am an experienced flier and I easily swerved my stance to prepare myself for impact on the rock. After hitting myself, I propelled back to the clouds and tried to be pushed up again another time. This time, I flapped my cape harder until I finally ended up in the place I meant to go. 

I swerved to the right, straight to the star waiting for me but a honking noise resonated and made me stop. Another one, and two, after the other. It was more noise than a call at this point, but nothing out of the norm.

I skidded to the area of the star, welcomed it back to me, and ran up to the highest point where the butterflies and birds roamed free. During my earliest days, I would have spent my time circling this area, and appreciating the view of the land that welcomed me first to my destiny as a child of light.

However, gone are those days. All I care about was to run to the edge and come back to the main island of Dawn or warp myself back to the base.

I spent a bit more time allowing the butterflies to fly over my cape and allow me to borrow their light. If there was one fear in me, it was to lose my light, even to go as ridiculous as fear of its loss in a place of overabundance.

As I recharged it, the honking was apparently still there. My senses were screaming that it must be that moth kid I ran to earlier. 

Recharging my flight didn't take long. The honking of the other flier did. In all honesty, I could have easily ran and abandoned him. Unfortunately, we children of the light had this affinity to sense another, to mingle ourselves with fellow children. He likely had sensed me and endlessly called.

Alright, fine. I mustered up all my restlessness to acquiesce. He must have wanted to open the door. As I was already on the edge, all I had to do was free fall down and let my cape delay my drop for a safer impact.

I haven't even composed myself and stand properly when this moth kid immediately ran to my side and bombarded me of calls. A vein almost popped in my forehead. Okay, I get it. No need to scream.

The buzzing of the door opened was aimless white noise in my head and all was done. I opted to warp back to base when the moth kid approached me again. He was offering something and this was one of his candles. 

His eyes were thankful, hopeful of my acceptance, his smile was sickly sweet. It was exactly how the less shy moth kids would be, and it bothered me how they could all be similar. 

I backed away and skipped a step, hoping that he would get it. However, he was persistent, pushing past my comfort zone. I had nothing else to do but I didn't want to warp home. The zones we were in are the same and running away would not help when he can easily find me again, even shorter would our chase be in the small base area. I wouldn't have wanted him to think I was being rude either. Running away from a gesture of friendship. 

At least his honking stopped.

I made my last attempts of denying his approach. Aside from the usual image of moth kids, there was a legitimate reason for avoiding them. They fell far too easily from grace. 

I have heard too many stories of constellations never being complete, a light dying, an array of light cut short. All because of accepting moth kids who fell from the embrace of light. 

I've felt that. I've sacrificed one of my constellations too, filled with names no longer able to twinkle in the night sky. 

I couldn't let one of my constellations be incomplete again and make me feel empty in the absence of their light. One was enough. I wish I could make him understand.

Yet he stood there, in all his hopefulness and toothy grin, waiting for me to accept his offer of friendship. I wondered briefly if I had been the same. That I was once a moth kid all too eager to offer candles and made someone anxious if I, too, would fall from grace. 

That I was once the moth kid who grew too excited at finding another star in a place I never knew existed. A new born child of light eager to feel the power of flight again.

Ever since I travelled to Eden too many times, I've always been reborn high above and never to the same flightlessness of the moths. Eventually, it all became a routine.

It made me wonder, who exactly lost their light after all? 

With still the trains of utmost hesitance, I accepted this precious candle offered to me and I saw his light flow to me in droplets.

Upon my acceptance, I stood there waiting for the familiar feeling of confirmation. I've done this a lot, but him? He looked like he was being embraced by light for the first time. The glow that we were both emitting made him giddy, and he was aware that his plain image to me has suddenly been enhanced.

I was sure he honked, one of two, but a voice of clarity has finally filled the void between us. 

"Hi! Thanks for accepting!"

And then, after a blink of an eye, he was gone. 

I blinked again, a third, before realization hit me. The same annoyance came over me again and I wondered another time why I accepted yet another moth kid. I clenched my fist. 

"Goddamnit, fine. I'm naming you uwuwu"

In the end, I thought that he would be the same as others, that while he sacrificed a candle, I sacrificed a place in my sky of constellations. An empty feeling dropped to my stomach again. 

Oh how I spoke a little bit too soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zone - Server  
> Base - Home. I feel like the one where we spawn first is more of a base less of a home. The light and skies is the child's home.  
> Fall from grace - inactive 
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	2. Daylight Prairie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the moth kid again was unexpected, but not unwelcome.
> 
> We needed someone to help open the damn eight person gate after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New characters ahoy!
> 
> And names are finally introduced.

A few weeks from our earlier meeting in the Isle of Dawn, time has gone by without a single spark of uwuwu's star. Everyday, I browse over my constellation, offering sparks to my friends in my silent show of appreciation. Checking discrepancies of any sorts, watching over the light of anyone in case it may dim, looking back at the spirits as they watched over me. And lastly, hope that the children of light who had fallen from grace be able to revive again.

I raised my hand, looking at my three fallen stars in between the gaps of my fingers, forever a scar in my sky that will remind of what once were. I pulled out a candle and closed my eyes as my light lit the candle aflame. Raising it, I felt the presence of the light cast around me, trying to see if I could still feel even the vaguest warmth of these fallen ones. The sudden intrusion of chimes broke me from my concentration and a familiar voice resonated, eventually becoming embodied. 

“Miha!” My friend Nepyre came running, exiting the depths of Eden and pulling with him another one of my companions. “Let’s run through Prairie and gather the wings again!”

Nepyre came grinning, a bundle of charm like he hadn’t just passed Eden. On his back was the exaprately smiling Lectri, slung lazily on Nepy’s back, looking as the more tired one of the both of them. I’m guessing that he’s the one who acted as leader of their Eden passing, with Nepy letting Lectri rest after on the way to the base.

I waved my candle to extinguish its flames and scanned my eyes through both of their miserable states. My hands immediately found themselves on the side of my hips, ready to talk some sense to them. “You both are filthy, dust yourselves and red rock particles will still be able to extinguish some of my light and,” I grimaced at the liquid oozing from Lectri once he hopped down from Nepyre.

“Is that krill drool?” I exclaimed incredulously.

“Ew! You rode on my back with that!” Nepyre twisted his basic red cape and checked from remaining trails of krill drool, much to the amusement of Lectri.

“Hey, hey. I evaded that krill pretty well! It just so happens that my hiding place had its slime on it!”

The two playfully argued their Eden passthrough history. Their little flak garnered a bit of a staring from others, much to my embarrassment. Sighing, I chose to ignore them altogether. Rough handling will only bring imminent chaos I’d rather not associate myself with any further. Taking a peek at my constellation, it seems that senses had slowly come to my two companions when they realized that my attention is no longer on them.

“Miha! Come on, take us to Prairie.” Nepyre pleads again, much more dramatic if I may add. I’d contemplated making a run for, but remembered that I haven’t gone yet to collect wax. That and, the chaotic two could easily find me again and flay me for leaving. I still want my kneecaps intact, thanks. Eventually, I sighed once more, no longer in tune with how many I’ve done.

“Alright, alright.” I acquiesced in defeat, turning around again to look at my constellation one last time before we journeyed to Prairie. “But no way am I holding hands with you both in that filth.”

Now, my friends have been with me for the better part of my life as a child of light. All the ups and downs, my adventure towards the acquisition of more wings is shared among us, finding never before seen locations, seeking safety from being under the harbinger of imminent doom that is the krill’s red light, being more or less whooped by said krill.

I’ve lived through all of that and for a larger part of it, these two nutheads are witness to my growth as a child of light just as I have witnessed theirs. My lows are theirs to mourn, my achievements are theirs to celebrate.

And so, to be surprised that they’d not only plotted my demise via tackling me to the ground, and spread filthy krill drool on my brand new gold rimmed white cape, then the fault is all mine. I accept it with a heavy heart, because I should have seen it coming. 

My screams of disgust easily filled the base and if it became louder that it can be heard in all seven realms, then onlookers be damned. 

* * *

  
“Miha losing cool will never not be funny, haha!” 

“Nepy, I’d rather not gather wings with just four flight powers so, you know…”

I’m flying through the grasslands of Prairie, ignoring my two companions on my back, all three of us adorned in new, cleaner capes. We’re also back in our usual attire, me in my lightseeker blue, Nepyre in his belonging red and Lectri in his enchantment yellow-purple. To make it more convenient for me, they’ve also worn their shrinking masks.

I mean they could have tried to not be an inconvenience in the first place, had they not dirtied my belonging white cape, but okay.

Knowing Prairie, wax gathering had been a breeze and flying by the different areas of the candles had been easy enough, despite the proximity of each one being so far away from one another. It’s been mindless flying and entering some occasional narrow paths for the most part. Sometime, Nepyre had been obnoxious when we pass by familiar faces also doing their runs. At one point, Lectri must have looked down and saw a crowd in one of the islands in the Villages.

“There’s an awful lot of people there.” 

I briefly looked down and saw that the middle island tower bell, indeed, has found itself with quite a number of visitors. It’s mildly surprising in a sense that at this hour, Prairie doesn’t have a lot of fliers roaming around. I adjusted my cape and seamlessly landed on a stone dock. With Nepyre the highest in our stacked piggyback run, he’s the one who saw the commotion in clearer view first.

“Shadow kids ahoy!”

Flocking by the bell, shadow kids gathered around. Some were melting dark plants, while some were circling around. There was no one familiar, according to Nepy. I trekked up and came closer to the scene.

It’s sort of disorganized, if not entirely chaotic. When the usual schedule of prairie runs comes, it can be more hectic than this. I’m choosing to ignore it anyway and approach the bell to melt the side dark plants. One shadow kid was looking at our three man-one stack gang and raised a candle for acquaintance. Lectri gladly lit it up until the warmth of the light spread and the shadow kid was finally revealed to all three. It was a moth kid.

One by one, shadow kids came to us, lit all our lights and realization struck us not too far behind.

“They’re all moth kids.” I said out of the blue and broke my silence.

It’s quite adoring to look at them, like a baby in this world discovering to crawl. Some of them were honking, likely trying out their new found ability to communicate. Luckily, none of them tried to befriend us and saved us the trouble of feeling guilty of ignoring them. It made my spirits drop when just earlier, I was looking at the fallen ones in my own constellation. 

I shrugged it off. This was not the time to dwell on others who’d likely spared not so much of another thought for me. When I circled around the tower and took the wax inside the workshop of the shipwright spirit, I spent no sweet time taking off and landed on the volcano island of the light catcher spirit.

Inside the dormant volcano, Nepyre dropped from our totem and helped me open the puzzle gate. When it opened, he jumped back but not before he helped light the star daisy in the puzzle entrance to bloom.

“Wow” Lectri mused nonchalantly.

“Hey!” Nepy pinched Lectric below him. “I always do that to it. It doesn’t get any sunlight so it’s the best I could do for it!.”

I turned around towards the narrow hall leading to the puzzle gate and just as I was about to step on it, the zone made a noncommittal shift and appeared right before our eyes, other children of the light. Some, my friends knew. Convenient. Waiting for others to help us open this up was always a pain. 

It should have been quick to wait for more but I found myself circling around the gate still waiting after quite some time, listening to my footsteps. Eventually, the echoes of calls filled the hollow gate and no more could I hear myself. Nepyre, ever the fiery one, was first to lose his patience and stomped his feet when it was already taking too much time for our last one to arrive.

“Come on! Prairie isn’t too deserted this time around! Where’s those moth kids we found in the middle island?”

Lectri gave him a pointed look. “A few spirits are required to save before they’re allowed entry.”

I stopped from my aimless circling and chuckled. “We’ve forgotten much about our early days huh.” I said to no one in particular. 

I remember when it was just Nepyre and I roaming around the early realms, trying to figure out who would be able to open this gate first. In the end, we both got lost and had ended up following Lectri for the sixth spirit we needed. 

It was a miracle Lectri even bothered to help us. Nepy was quick to point out how the other had this wild hair sticking out everywhere. As a Valley dweller, Lectri was proud of his hair passed on to him by a spirit. Nepyre preferred a cleaner look and opted for a short cut native to us Isle dwellers before changing it to a wilder look from a traveling spirit, the juggling spirit of Valley. I’ll never forget Lectri having a field day when Nepyre chose hair whose origins was something Nepyre once laughed at.

I think I’m pretty happy with my own bowl cut, one passed to me by a Sanctuary spirit.

A honking from Lectri beside me woke me up from my musings and reminiscing. He grinned mischievously and it was clear that he did that on purpose to jolt me. I narrowed my eyes before I shook my head. It felt like many moons had gone over and we were still waiting for our eighth passenger. 

There is no viable option than to cry for calls and hope for the best. The zone will likely not split again and if it does, I am more afraid of the likelihood of us three splitting. It is a much more troublesome feat, considering how far we were already from the social area. I am having a foreboding that it might be a better move to skip this stage altogether and pass it by sometime again. A grim statement. Who am I to say that when I want the abundant candle waxes too?

But I was getting impatient as my companions are. If our eight does not show them self within the next few minutes, well, I don’t know.

Of course, matters of the realms are mysterious and often, too obscure for us children of the light to perceive upon. As I pontificate my stand, our eight has finally arrived and… they cannot enter.

“Hey someone’s out!” Nepyre voices out my observation. 

All had gone silent in our wait for the eight’s entrance but another moon might have passed, and they still have yet to come. Confusion is easily etched in our faces. However, I felt a familiar warmth. One that I had wished to feel again, but never hoped.

I dashed out of the gate with the voices of my friends behind me and I jumped out of the gate, back to the entrance of the dormant volcano. My eyes widened at who I saw to be our eight.

“Uwuwu!” 

“Pogewege!”

What.

Ugh, whatever, the zones are never on my side. I grabbed his hand and successfully pulled him in the six spirit door. I hear my friends call out to me and relief fills me that the zone has not split. When the familiar echo of the gate hit me, I removed my grip of uwuwu.

“Light up one of those discs, please.”

Uwuwu looked at me with a questioning look, but I was glad he opted to follow my instructions first.

Cheers and confetti erupted when the gate platform vibrated to life and lifted us. I took my eyes off of uwuwu at some point and I was glad that I put my attention on him again, because he was poking his head on the platform below and almost fell down.

My friends were chuckling at me when they saw what happened, of which I ignored for the sake of calming myself from the almost doom of uwuwu falling. Finally, the soothing sunlight finally gazed upon. I let the sudden burst of cool, crisp air soothe me and butterflies living only in this area roam in the skies with us. My friends hopped back on me and uwuwu’s hand I hastily grabbed before I made a beeline for the floral cliff.

“Pogewege, where are we!” uwuwu’s voice was strained with excitement at a new area he was seeing and I almost smiled, had it not been for that atrocious name he was calling me. 

My only solace? My friends have yet to understand him. Eden will be more merciful if Nepyre and Lectri heard what this young moth called me.

The two on my back went down once we reached the cliff. Nepyre was observing uwuwu far too close, while Lectri faced me. “Who’s that kid, Miha?”

I hesitantly looked at him in the eye. “Some...moth I met a few weeks ago in Isle.”

Lectri took that as a cue to immediately bombard uwuwu. Much to my horror, Nepyre had already offered a candle to befriend him and Lectri followed suit. I braced myself of the inevitable impact to come.

“Cool! You’re Pogewege’s friends?”

Nepyre and Lectri gave me a look. And by look, as in an enthusiastic one, eyes twinkling in mischief, little giggles that meant nothing good and an entirety of _Miha-chan's cutesy nickname!_ looms over their devious air. 

I coughed and looked away because what else could I do? I mean, I did name him randomly too but to no fault of mine, in my defense. 

"My name isn't Pogewege. It's…"

"Miha!" Nepyre cut my words short. 

"Short for—"

"Miha!" uwuwu was taken aback after learning my name, his eyes all watery, of which took me aback.. "You're a girl?"

The krill spawns masquerading themselves as my friends fell on ground, howling like it was the funniest thing in the world, hands on their stomachs. Uwuwu and I watched them roll about, left and right, until they finally realized the lack of hilarity in it. 

I wish. The reality of it is that they're just tired from bursting. My limited reserve of shame is reaching dangerous limits.

Nepyre placed a hand on uwuwu's shoulder in all dramatic sense of the action, a short span of shaking his head came to make exactly a point about the dramatics, before he continued. "Nah, his name's Miha. Short for Mihael."

As the moth scampered to change the atrocious name he registered me in, Lectri elbowed me and whispered.

“What equally bad name did you give the guy?”

I glared at him, surreptitious to the moth and Nepy entertaining him. “It’s a classy one, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Yeah and the _Chengcheng_ name you gave me the first time we met was a good one.”

“G-get your hands off me. This is why I won’t tell you what I named him!”My voice was a little bit too loud this time, with emotions against the chastising of my naming skill being held against me. Uwuwu looks at me in interest, of which I will not let him implore from me.

Nepyre looks smug in his stead, likely already told of the moth’s real name and saved himself the embarrassment that is providing names. Bastard. I will devour you and spit you out like a krill.

In my deranged musings, I didn’t notice the moth kid approach me. He tugged my cape lightly and signaled me to come down to his level. I may be a little too tall right now for him, only recently drinking some resize potion.

“My name is Kira. You don’t have to tell them the embarrassing name you gave me. Nepyre told me I shouldn’t tell you so I’m whispering.”

In the interim of a few seconds, my mind cycles through hundred something thoughts. Most of them committing atrocities previously unknown in all of seven realms. However, I am a sensible child of the light. All wayward thoughts are immediately thrown and what’s left is a quarter of internal screaming, half a sense of profound loss and a very vague decision of having a mental breakdown in privacy. Maybe in Graveyard where I can dunk my head in Wasteland waters.

Kira, as he introduced himself to be, blinks at me in all the sense of innocence. May the Light forgive me for having such thoughts near this one. The goons have resorted to rolling to a corner, crab walking. 

I reached out my hand, deciding this to be the kernel of light in the utter bullshit I dug myself in to.

“Well then, Kira. Nice to meet you. Thank you for not falling from grace on me.”

Nepyre and Lectri cheers in the background. Before I knew it, we were summoning Oreo from the grave and enjoying our day. I guess Sanctuary wax and wing collecting can come again later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Names have some significance to the character in this story and are not sporadically chosen.  
> I specifically made the names of the three friends to have some kind of representation to their personality.  
> Nepyre - fire - fiery  
> Lectri - Lightning - You never know when it's gonna hit you.  
> Mihael is a more angelic name, along with his color scheme, representing water and a serene nature (but not really :p)


	3. Hidden Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I promised myself to offer my time and make sure to watch out for the young moth. 
> 
> Under the cold tears of the Forest, we find it warmer than anywhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah okay. Took me too long to update this because...I had no idea how Hidden Forest chapter will be and here we are with 4.6k words.
> 
> This will be relevant:  
> Elder's names:  
> Daylight Prairie - Ayin  
> Hidden Forest - Teth

"To be fair Miha," Nepyre paused and looked up at me. "Kira promised. But as to when he will be meeting with us had yet to be discussed." He sat squatting, snug between his robes and cape. We're both wearing shorter pants and thinner blue, lightseeker capes that glowed under the imposing gloom of the Forest.

To wear heavier clothing, that will eventually be damp in the unwavering weather of this place, will be a guaranteed annoyance. I gave out an exasperated sigh, stretched my arm to the pouring rain, and felt the cold between my fingers.

"Very true. I mean, I did see him earlier and he told me he still had a few wings to collect in Prairie...I offered to help him but the zones decided to be a prick and split on us again."

"Haha, how many days did it take us to find all the wings again? A week? We were getting lost in the clouds so much!"

"A week, yes." I fondly recalled, hazy memories of near flightlessness and floating with the tropical breeze above and between the clouds. Great times. Surreptitiously, I let my eyes wander down at Nepyre still snug in his sitting below me. Idly, I smiled smugly. "My usual colors of blue do not quite suit you."

"Ah,” Nepyre clicked his tongue and playfully waved. “Get off your manta pedestal! All my reds aren't proper for wet terrain. They would all get heavy from the downpour.”

There is a sudden intrusion of non stop honking that we paid no heed to. We were by the entrance of one of the earliest realms graced by moths, it is only natural to hear such noise along with the dripping rain and creaking of non decaying wood. But the honking seemed to be partnered with calling of our names that Nepyre’s better hearing has picked up easily. “Hey, is that Kira?!”

Flying haphazardly in between the cloud tunnel, comes a brown of said moth. He swerved, attempted to avoid an incoming colossal tree. However, his timing is off. That only meant failure to dodge and the loud bump over the trunk upon force of slamming. I could only cringe as he uttered a chime of cries like a bell when he did. The moth slid down ungracefully from where he hit the tree until he reached the roots.

Nepyre and I waited for the unceremonious fall of this one, without so much of moving an inch from where we stood. It’s okay, young moth. To hit these trees when entering the Forest is a passage rite all children of the light must experience.

Nepyre stood and leaned slightly, lifted his palm over his eyes. He looked more over the tree than the helpless moth. He peers, imbibed and unfazed, like this thing was a daily one.

And, well, it was. I ought not to guess how many of these poor moths slamming themselves that we’ve seen.

“You think, there’s already an embedded moth mask up in that tree with how regular moths slammed their way here?”

One shouldn’t take these things against young moths but I couldn’t help but snort, against my better judgement. “Hush, you.”

The impact must have made this moth dizzy because he was just lying there for a moment, until he finally composed himself with another honk.

I've seen moths, I was one myself from many moons ago. They all looked the same or at least very similar, that it's quite humorous when crowded in a mob. But we children of the light have this uncanny skill of being able to tell which is which. I know who this one is, just as Nepyre was able to tell.

“Neppy, Miha! I’m sorry I got lost!”

Kira got himself out his trance rather quick, gesturing wildly at us.

After Nepyre stood up, we bowed ourselves, all in the spirit of the culture we children of the light adapted ourselves to. Kira was quick to learn and bowed his greeting as well.

Of course he did. I ingrained that to his moth brain when I was dragging him all over Prairie.

He viscerally bristled, staying right as he stood. A wrong choice for this young moth, by elder's grace. Did he not notice the rain depleting his flame?

Under the shade that saved our light from diminishing, we pulled him to us for safety. A light eep! emits from him as we did. Kira bristled and shivered, bore his teeth at the tittering that rises from his coldness. Touchy that he is, Nepyre had offered a hug to him in warmth and in greeting.

“There you go bud. All safe and warm!”

But the squeeze Kira gave him almost left him half dried of light power from the sheer hug alone. The young one is in a sweep of his own brown cape, clingy to his skin. When Nepyre tried to pull away, Kira’s grip on him continued to be strong, lips bitten, eyes wide and blobs of tears threatened to pour harder than Elder Teth’s rain.

“W-why is the skies crying here, Neppy? Why am I so cold? I’ve never felt this before!”

Nepyre stands rigidly and nearly out of breath. He opens his mouth idiotically and I know what he’ll say. His face has exactly that kind of look. The same one he would use for commenting about things he indulges too much in, despite barely anything to reap. The things where he’d make comments how moths, upon birth, shared a single brain maybe—all hundreds of them.

So I swear, this dumbass. The Elders have yet to tell me which way the wind blew on this fool.

And before he could open that abysmal mouth of his, I waved him off. Glared like I meant to dine on his kneecaps if he so much continued, and patted Kira on the head. Moths have quite the softest hair, I must say.

“This is your first time seeing rain? You need to be careful, as it expires you very slowly. But fret not, Teth is kind to grow abundant light-giving plants for us children of the light to replenish lost warmth with."

“Mmm," Kira murmured to himself, though I didn't exactly understand the picture it entailed. "A storm of rocks, I have.”

I raised a brow. What did rocks have to do with the slightest patter of rain? "Huh?"

Kira waved it off, grinning like a bundle of charm and promptly ignored me in favor of teasing Nepyre. The topic of his unusual blue cape was back in the picture. Them two, forgetting that they are delicate as butterflies under the rain, chased each other around the entrance of the Hidden Forest.

A good comparison, if I do say so myself. I remember how much of a nuisance butterflies are when I'm flying past them, and they decide to happily enhance my glide, making me lose my touch in direction. Instead of landing seamlessly, I slam face first on the ground and a mouthful of dirt to come by.

That was when I was a moth, of course. I've learned my lesson never to fly past butterflies. I'll have to remember to teach this one to Kira.

Anyway, there are two I need to increase my patience for.

"Child," ah wait, Nepyre is being a five year old too right now. _"Children,_ don't embarrass me in front of Elder Teth. Charge your depleted light as we march. Let's go."

* * *

"Neppy, you're wearing a metal protector over your forehead now? I just noticed."

"Mm, I'm great with flying through narrow fields, but you never know with these trees!"

"Miha doesn't." Kira commented. There is no malice in the comparison, only pure curiosity.

"Miha is an excellent flyer whose skills we are confident of." Nepyre pressed as we walked by an epitaph of a spirit. Meanwhile, I stayed silent and bowed my respects, murmured a silent prayer for the one that passed. Nepyre continued, slicking his hair being wet over the downpour going stronger. "I am good with dodging. Lectri reigns in speed. But Miha is still the most balanced among us."

Ah, well, there's a rather warm feeling in my guts upon hearing that. It presses the heart into fondness, Nepyre's words about me. But I will not give him the benefit of knowing that.  
He's half a bastard without Lectri to tease me with him sure, but a bastard nonetheless.

I am not the type to keel over the slightest flattery, aside from the truth that they are facts. I am confident in my flight skills despite my first meeting with Kira. But the boy is looking at me starry eyed as if forgetting my lame fall when we first met! I have no right to let flattery get the better of me when that's how he saw me in action first!

There have been many sacrifices that entails being good at the skill you have. The trees are witness to the many failures, loss of winged light and all the poor attempts to gather them back to me. Still, it is what honed me. The yearning of flight and curiosity of the place is greater than any rain that will extinguish my flame.

Past the broken bones and angry cracks on my masks in need of replacement, I am a curious one. Say what you will about curiosity; I have the scars to prove it, but the trophies, too.

The river ran active when we finally reached it and the sun continued to protest against the clouds covering the skies. That said, everything is as it was.

I give the river an extra gaze, looking over the little orange boats bobbing at the current in slight interest. And as we stood, the rain had managed to increase strength. It is then that I decided that my gift should be of good use now. Behind my back, I pulled my item and opened it overhead my friends.

"Parasol!"

"Yeah,” Nepyre chuckled, side eyeing me with a smirk. “Miha's one of the lucky bastards who was gifted by the spirits from so long ago!"

“Excuse you,” I jabbed playfully. “Who has the bonfire gift now? That’s much more useful in all realms!”

Nepyre dodged my light banter and stuck his tongue out. Though, our mishap had left me holding the parasol wayward and Kira yelped at a shiver at the sudden intrusion of rain. So we stopped, as it was the better idea.

“Kira,” Nepyre called out and sled an arm over the young moth’s shoulder. “I say this parasol would be great, though we rarely use it with how large our flight power is anyway. By that, I mean you don’t worry about us getting wet, okay? Just focus on being under it while we collect wax."

Innocent as the day was young, Kira nods in earnest, bobbing extra for every passing moment. Oh, how moths are such adorable ones. If only they weren’t too much trouble. The young one drilled little holes over the soil with a turning of his feet and immediately, water pooled in. "This place could look prettier without the rain. Why does Elder Teth allow it? Does she not want her realm less gloomy?"

"The trees won't water themselves, young moth." Nepyre patted Kira's head, clearly just as amused as I had been. "Maybe this is why they are all so colossal."

Colossal they are. Not a hint of the forest canopy can be seen. I wonder myself why the forest could be in an unending storm, as well as how the spirits had managed to live in such a place.

Today, wax collection is a little bit less eventful than it had been in Prairie. As it was, we are waltzing under the rain. Less people can be seen here as most are under shades near warmer places. In the middle of the storm is just Nepyre, Kira and I, along with my trusty parasol. Splashes we are unmindful of, flying through downpour in all three holding hands is a breeze.

I say that the patter of rain is Elder’s Teth’s song, just as the butterflies are Elder Ayin’s tune, but Nepyre will call me, in pressed lips, that I am in one of those days again. The “you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve again” days, as if he did not wail like a worried mother when Kira had successfully flew over the tree tops and avoided trunks just now, dodging like he had known his way all along.

I ought to recall this one to Lectri, he will be very pleased at Neppy’s dotting. I grin menacingly to myself. Truly, kinship in degeneracy is what glues us together.

I let go of Kira again and point to another wing he may be able to collect, and it is then that we notice that his flight is down to one.

With I holding the parasol over Kira, Nepyre has no control over me letting go. And since I also held his hand, he can’t pull himself together and follow the parasol to him. His face is full of worry and he’s tugging over me, nearly tumbling over. Still, I do not let him do as he pleased. “What are you doing, Neppy? Looking at yourself at a third person perspective is becoming the basis of comedy now, instead of being a role model to Kira.”

“The rain! It’s going to deplete his light!!!”

Just as it was said, Kira’s cape was becoming dull grey, a sign of a slow waning in light, but at the right time he had managed to make one step closer to the winged light and get it for his own. Effectively, a glow over his person appears and the meager six wedges are finally back. A swift swerve to our direction is what our young moth does, and he raises a thumb for us before he waved madly in joy.

“See?”I remind Nepyre as I jumped, spiraled towards Kira who shaded himself under a cave of rocks. “Let the moth make his own mistakes,” I paused and grinned at Kira. “Or not, as he chooses them to be.”

* * *

I've always found that some people have a floodgate built inside them and some don't, so that some blurt out all their feelings right away and others can think a moment to say something better. Mine's been cast out to the sea of Isle in the wake of Kira’s befuddling words.

“Slow down, Kira. And what the heck, even you Nepyre? That whale died ages ago, as you can see with serrated bones.”

“I thought the forest wouldn't get any sadder! Why is there a dead whale here Miha!”

“I—” I am at a loss for words. I am older than Kira but am not much. Likely, the creature had lived in the age of spirits where no one of our kind has existed yet. I do not have an honest answer about the whale, except the truth that I don’t. What do I say to that, to the young moth I have included in my own constellation, when his eyes make it seem like his next heartbeat rests on my words?

Nepyre is back to us, thankfully. Rubbed where his nose is, oh dear Light, don’t touch me with the same hand as you rubbed snot with! “We’ve run through this realm multiple times, and batted no lash at the bones. Why are you dramatic now?”

He slowly lifted a finger over his eyes and wiped a non-existent tear underneath. “One must empathize with moths, Miha. To do that, our emotions must be readily in tune with a wayward wheel that knows no direction whenever in their vicinity.”

“You’re insufferable,” I gasped in defeat, my free hand dangerously close to palming my face. “You’re saying that we need to be cushioning fools in the same spectrum as moths are, when they’re acting as they do.”

“That I do.”

As I will. I will serrate Nepyre with the same whale bones, in the next chance I have to allow him time to roll in the dirt, and share stories with the ancestors.

Skidding to an awful stop is what I do, in the end. Violence is frowned upon by the Light, and I try to make the days come by living religiously, sentimental, faithfully, devoted and haplessly in awe.

You know, unlike Nepyre’s dramatic crap.

“You tell the moth what we think of the bones then.” I pinched him and nodded at Kira, whose light was depleting as he hugged bones with tearful blobs. If he could lift himself that high over the bones, then I’ve completely misjudged Kira’s strength then.

Nepyre faked a cough, pulled me to come closer and lay the parasol over the crying one’s self. “We think, ah, that is. We think that being sad about the whale isn’t something you should do. Its spirit lives on in this forest, as what Elder Teth has led onto us to believe”

“Wha—what do you mean?”

We show, not tell. As I urged Kira to stand beside the lamp nearby, Nepyre and I slowly burned down the plants, extending arms when we cannot reach. The clear waters where the bones lay are awfully colder and I unconsciously lean closer to Nepyre for warmth. With the last one by Kira’s reach, he is urged to come closer and do on his own the burning of the plant. In one swift spark of his candle, he jumped over where we are and finally, we came to hear what we meant.

The echoing thrum of what sounded like a whale’s call had bellowed around us, rippling waters gushing underneath and coolly blowing our capes damp of the rain.

As Kira’s eyes widened with what he heard, I offered my hand and he understood.

There is a broken temple bridge the old dwellers of Forest had built and its use was something my friends and I had come across accidentally. What a fine mischance it was. Nepyre and I raised our candles to raise the middle pole in every temple bridge. Like waking a slumbering creature, the broken bridge magically came back to life and puzzled itself back to where it was—a bridge for us to cross to the other side.

We lit another temple, and another, until we reached the last where rows of candles were offered, and one winged light was easily snatched by Kira.

I was about to speak when Kira suddenly lifted to the air, glow brighter than usual and a circular light formed over his body. I know what this is. It is never tiresome for me to watch, because how wonderful it is to see someone be able to fly higher than ever.

Nepyre broke my reverie, trailing words that I meant to speak, yet only allowed my emotions to well up to. “Your wedges are seven! Congratulations!”

“Light’s blessing be with you.” I finally say, feeling suddenly foolish that I have yet to say anything when this moth, I promised myself to teach and not fall from grace. I offered Kira a high five, something he was eager to do. “You can soar even higher now!”

Another tearful bout fills Kira’s eyes, but it is crawling over his face through all smiles. It is a welcome one. “Thanks to you guys!”

Nepyre and I reach out our hands at the same time, meaning to give him a warm pat once more. But our hands hit one another’s, much to Kira’s amusement, and let us do that one by one.

I remember why we are here in the temples and I urge Kira to lift his flame, and kindle the white ones on the altar. I pull myself and Nepyre to the back and watch, allowing Kira to do as he does.

When he finished lighting all the candles, Kira faced us with a questioning look. Murmur rising, excitement held on the backs of our throats, Nepyre and I have collectively agreed not to spoil this one and madly pointed for him to turn, words escaping away when it could have been more useful. I grit my teeth at how smart we were being, thank you.

And, well, Kira does not know any better. He’s still facing us, looks more confused than ever, and Nepyre, my equal idiot, had removed himself from my hold and ran after the moth. In his haste, he toppled down the temple and plunged himself into the flood. Kira and I ran after him, but we were too late.

We expected a rush of water to sound from his fall, but there wasn’t. Only, a glow was quick to emerge from the water and finally, the bells rang. The bastard that he is, Nepyre saddled coolly on the jellyfish emerging from the waters, with Kira laughing, amused at Nepyre and awed at the beauty of the creatures emerging.

“Wow wow wow! Oh wow! What are those? The birds, the birds! They’re flying in groups and glowing!”

I leaned on the temple edge and side eyes Kira. “The rain stopped too. This is what we mean: the whale may be bones but along the creatures of the forest, it lives on as you hear from its calls that bellow with the creatures of the forest. So don’t be sad, time passes for everyone yet that does not mean they are truly gone.”

Nepyre, casually lounging on top of the jellyfish, called out to us and reached for our hands. There is no need for me to lead as my parasol is no longer needed. “Let’s go, let’s go! We have one more place to show!”

* * *

We enter the temple of Teth with hands no longer holding, after all She will watch over us and no accidental mishaps should occur. I only fear the zones will be against us again, but luckily it hadn’t.

“We will meet Elder Teth?” Kira questioned out loud, looking right down at me as he and Nepyre were playing with the contraptions in Teth’s temple. I’ll allow it because the Light knows, no one had ever used it anyway to lift themselves to the altar. At least, it can provide fun for young moths and wannabe moths like them two.

“Relive her memories, yes.” I answered, flying up on the altar where we light her memories. See what I mean when I say no one uses the mechanics her temple is supposed to be used? Though of course, it was made with the old spirits in mind than us children of the light capable of flight.

“Right. What else do we see when we’re in her temple already? Don’t you automatically come to the next realm when exiting? That’s what happened after Ayin’s Temple in Prairie.”

“The Valley, the next place after this, is a far one.” Nepyre filled in for me. There is a space in between the two realms that children of the light spare their time in. It’s what Lectri was very excited to show you, but had not the chance to do so.”

“Lectri!” Kira’s face upturned widely. “Where is he?”

I grin with Nepyre jointly. Lectri, an original dweller of the Valley, had been missing in action these days, but it is not an uncommon one. After all, it’s _that_ time again for him. The time every Valley hopeful is eager to join in. The Forest is where we must bring Kira to, in order to allow him to see Lectri in action for himself.

Nepyre extended his reach to Kira and pulled him up to me to the altar. “Offer your prayers for Lectri, Kira. He will need it.”

After Kira bawled at seeing Teth’s memories, wanting to stay to provide a memory more light from him, and Nepyre and I trying to whisk him away from going back, the gates have finally opened and we have successfully cleared the path for the little haven we wanted Kira to see.

Nepyre crossed his arms over his chest. “Didn’t you say you thought the Forest would look nicer without the rain?”

“The underground was very pretty.” Kira murmured, still despondent over Teth’s memories.

Humming to the side, I peered over the crabs down below and bit my lip when they angrily hissed at me. I waved for my friends to follow. “And yet there was barely any creature there, save for the live whale Neppy wanted to pat. Come, I daresay this is the Forest’s ‘ _prettiest_ ’, as you yearn.”

We take it slow, walking over the imposing walls of the Temple of Teth and finally, flaxen hues coaxed us of its warmth, asking us to approach it. On the first step, flowers tickled our feet and a cool breeze dried our capes slowly.

I close my eyes to the crisp air, less humid than in the inner forest. Here, trees continue to be more triumphant over the skies but creatures roam unafraid of the rain no more.

Nepyre poked me on the side and thumbed at Kira, nodded at his direction.

He was in awe, as he was initially before the Temple of Teth, but he don not an overwhelming emotion over his sleeve and instead, it was of comfort. His mouth raised in the slightest upturn and unknowingly to me until now, his fingers clung to my cape unabashed.

I yearn to ask what it is that he felt, but Nepyre's silence urged me to wait. He breathed in, his smile never faltering, and eyes were closed until he opened them again moments later.

"This Forest…I believe rain is brought by with tears and well, beyond that, there is beauty after all."

I smiled back, allowing the touch of the flowers to move me. There is a seat by the pond where we could enjoy our time after all the setbacks brought to by the rain depleting us. Our capes are all filled, but it is still mentally taxing.

Except, Kira knelt down offered a candle. Nepyre made all these weird faces and noises he makes when he's absolutely thrilled.

"You—!" I had no words to say. What is this moth doing, wasting his candles like that when I remind him that he mustn't! " I said candles must be dealt with frugally! What if another spirit comes! Your brown ones can finally be replaced!"

"Ah," Nepyre roared with laughter! My face must be red by now, if he's too amused to speak clearly. " _Just accept it!_

"But—!" Kira's just there, kneeling and waiting, and by the Light's mercy I—oh fine. Whatever. I'll give it back to him, if this is just a need to to exchange hearts between us.

Except, it's not.

When I hesitantly accepted his offer, the sudden rush of familiarity got to me. It's a flame, but coming from another child of light, it has traces of their own, the warmth and touch that emits from then alone.

I've had many people offer me their candles, but from this young moth who I claim to not know any better, the taste is always that of purity and simple times.

With the candle gone, Kira widened his arms and coaxed me into a hug. Defeated, I let myself be under his mercy.

Nepyre awed at us, a veteran and a moth spending a wonderful time by the Teth's grace, and when Kira removed his grip from me, they too shared a hug.

As the hug ended, I was moved. But I do not forget the words I must say. A cough emits itself from my throat. "I remembered. A fortnight from now, meet us at the base. Count the moons that will appear to fourteen, and you will know."

Kira blinked, swaying his hands over the cool grass underneath.

Nepyre eagerly dropped down to his level and chuckled heartily. "We're going to the Valley. We have a race to watch!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am aware that Miha can pat Kira's head, which needs the hug feature to be unlocked before it can happen but uh whatever hahahaha


End file.
